Painfully Ironic
by JavaPoodle
Summary: Set about a month or so after the episode Christopher Returns in the first season. She laughed hopelessly, almost hysterically, as she threw the stick at the floor life couldn’t get any more painfully ironic. That’s what the whole situation was: ironic.
1. Prologue: Calenders, Commercials,& Chris

Summery: She laughed hopelessly, almost hysterically, as she threw the stick at the floor; life couldn't get any more painfully ironic. That's what the whole situation was: ironic.

What happens when after Christopher returned, he left something behind? What happens when Lorelai's life becomes all too painfully ironic and history seems to be repeating itself? Will Lorelai even tell Chris? And who helps pick up the pieces? How will the town react?

A/N: Set about a month or so after the episode "Christopher Returns" in the first season. This story has been in my head for awhile, and I've started writing it recently. I have almost two chapters done already so expect pretty quick updates. It is/will be Javajunkie and maybe Literati. I'll sometimes follow the plot of the show with important events and such but will twist and turn things to fit this story. I'm not going to beg for reviews, but they sure would help. This is just a short prologue to get you going, and I'll tell you now, it may confuse some people, but hang in there. In Lorelai's POV.

* * *

I got a weird feeling as I looked at the Independence Inn's event calender. Something struck me odd and I couldn't put my finger on it. Did I write a date down wrong? Did I forget to write something in? I checked the computer's mainframe. Everything was fine, everything was correct. So then, why did I have this horrible nagging feeling that something wasn't fine? After double checking things again, I blew it off an went back to work.

That nagging feeling put a damper on my day; I didn't even find Michel's odd eating habits or rude remarks as amusing as usual. It seemed today that work was a drag. Things were slow and I would keep thinking about what seemed off. Sookie told me to go home and drink lots of coffee to get it off my mind, after all, Rory would be coming home from school soon and it was almost the end of my work day. So, I decided I would go home and relax a little before meeting Rory at her bus stop.

When I got home, I dropped my purse on the coffee table and slumped on the couch. _Need coffee _was my first thought, followed by _I don't want to get up_ then _I'll get some at Luke's later with Rory._ Of course, that led to a _Dirty!_

I ended up grabbing the remote control and turning on the TV. There wasn't a whole lot on so I settled for an I Love Lucy rerun, but caught it right before it went to a commercial. The first commercial that came on made me realize something, and things began to click into place.

"No..." I said to myself as I grabbed the planner that Rory had gotten me and checked the date once again. A horrible feeling of deja vu came over me, "No, no ,no ,no, no! Dammit Christopher!" I yelled at the empty house. _This cannot be happening, not again..._ I had to breathe, I had to be sure. I yanked my purse off the coffee table and dashed out the door, forgetting to turn the TV off. I hopped in the jeep and drove towards the drug store in Hartford and tried to clam down a bit. All I kept thinking about, though, is what would happen if I didn't fail this test.

* * *

Confused? Or maybe you got it right off the bat? If you are confused it's okay, I didn't want to make things too obvious. By the way, this prologue is going to be the only part in Lorelai's perspective. 


	2. Cause & Effect, Both Painfully Ironic

A/N: Sorry these have been so short, but I promise the next chapter will be longer. Just a warning, this isn't a particularly happy chapter...

Disclaimer: (I forgot one in the prolouge) I do not own the show or these characters, just some of the plot ideas and the writing of this fanfiction.

On with the story...

* * *

"Which one, which one...?" Lorelai mumbled as she ran her finger over the boxes on the shelves, "These are half-priced, but maybe that means they're half affective? Maybe one brand is faultier than another!" She argued with herself, "This is ridiculous..." So, she grabbed two boxes, each of a different brand, and stomped off to check out. 

When she got home, Lorelai immediately ran into her bathroom. But, when she took the boxes out of the plastic bag and set them both on the counter, she just stared at them. Those boxes...rather, the tests _in _those boxes, would determine a very important factor that could change Lorelai's life. She was anxious to be told that she was worrying for nothing, and terrified with the possible result of Christopher returning (and leaving) about a month ago. She picked up one of the boxes and read the directions, making sure nothing much had changed in the past sixteen years. Blue good, pink bad. _Easy enough._

With that, she took the first test and waited five minutes like the directions instructed. Those five minutes seemed like the longest part of her day so far, as they ticked by ever so slowly.

_Blue_ she wished for in her head as if it would effect the results. She glanced down at the stick. Pink. _No. _She frantically opened the other box and took the other test. She prayed that maybe the first test was wrong. These five minutes waiting for the next results were even longer than the previous. This was her last hope. Lorelai took an incredibly deep breath and looked at the test. It was pink.

"No...no! Not again," She whispered to herself, almost afraid to sat it any louder. Then it hit her, it _really _hit her, reality. Lorelai was pregnant. There, in the bathroom, she broke down. She laughed hopelessly, almost hysterically, as she threw the stick at the floor; life couldn't get any more painfully ironic. That's what the whole situation was: ironic. Ironic that sixteen years later, the same guy that had impregnated her when she was sixteen, had done it again. It was on that same stupid balcony too. Lorelai felt sixteen years old again, pregnant, terrified and like she could puke at any moment. She didn't know how long it was that she sat sobbing in the bathroom, but after a while she tried composing herself and curling up on the couch.

Her mind kept wandering to how this could have happened. Well, she knew _how _it happened but still couldn't wrap her mind around it. Christopher had done it again. Lorelai knew this could not have happened without herself also, but it was easier at the moment to blame Chris for the cause of all this. She was pregnant. That was the effect; Christopher and that stupid balcony were the cause and this was the effect. Shiny wet tears started rolling down her cheeks once again, but Lorelai stayed silent and thought about things, thought about what to do next. Just then Lorelai heard the front door open and Rory's voice call out, "Mom, I'm home! I stopped by Luke's without you, sorry, but I really needed some coffee, Paris-," She stopped when she saw her mother's tear stained face. Rory dropped her yellow book bag and her jacket to the floor and instantly joined her mother on the couch.

"Mom? Mom, what's wrong?" Rory asked worriedly as she wiped a few tears off Lorelai's cheeks.

Lorelai held Rory close and kissed her cheek. She shut her eyes tight and said quietly, "I screwed up, kid."

* * *

A/N: The second chapter is going to take longer to post, but I'm done with most of it. Name suggestions, anyone? Reviews are appriciated. 


	3. The Break Down, Part 2

Disclaimer: I didn't own Gilmore girls. I really don't. I _wish _I did, but I don't.

A/N: Sorry this took so long to post! The chapters are going to start taking longer, I've been really busy with school projects and drama stuff, but I promise I will up date ASAP. I'm going to _try_ to update at least once a week, but who knows how that will go. I want to thank everyone for the great reviews! As I promised, this chapter is longer!

On with the story...

* * *

Chapter Two: The Break-Down Part 2 

"_I screwed up, kid,"_

"What? Mom, what happened?" Rory asked.

Lorelai sniffled and turned to face Rory, "I...uh..." She paused and then started again, "Do you remember when your dad was here? And, we went to Friday night dinner and it was really awful and Strobe and Francine made my parents look almost sane?" Rory nodded in response.

"That was, what, a month ago?"

"Yeah, so...anyways, that night...your father and I were on the balcony talking and _stuff. _Well, t-to make a long story short.." Lorelai took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut, "I'm p-preg-pregnant," she whispered is so softly that Rory might not have heard had they not been sitting so close.

Rory's eyes went wide with shock, "Y-your...but...w-wow," she took a moment to process what she had just heard. "And, you're sure?"

Lorelai nodded, "Positive. Today I was looking at a calender and something seemed off, but it was only when I saw an _Always_™ commercial that I realized that I was..._late._ Then...things just clicked. I-um, I took a test, two actually, B-both were positive."

They were both quiet for a while until Rory said, "What about Dad? Are you going to tell him?"

Lorelai sighed, "I don't know. He has a right to know, I guess...I just -I have to think things through."

Another moment of silence. Rory wasn't sure what she was feeling or even what she should be feeling, but she knew that her mother needed her.

"I'm going to be a big sister," Rory then said with a small smile forming on her face.

Lorelai started to smile too, "That's right. Hey...do you think it'll be a boy or a girl?"

"Whichever it is, it'll be adorable,"

"If it knows what's good for it. Wouldn't it suck if all these years of mocking the ugly babies came back to bite us in the butt?"

"Don't jinx it!"

They were both laughing lightly now and it almost seemed like a normal day.

"You know, I'm going to have to hide the coffee," Rory stated.

"You do and I hide your laptop," Lorelai threatened.

"You're not supposed to have caffeine when you're pregnant,"

"Why not? You turned out fine, except your new apparent need to cut off Mommy from her life source..."

Ignoring her mother, Rory reached for the phone. "Who're you calling?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm going to cancel the plans Lane and I made and tell her that I can't sleep over tonight," Rory shrugged simply.

"What? Why?"

"Well, I just thought that you might not want to be alone tonight considering..."

"Aw, Hun. That's sweet but you and Lane have fun. I'll be fine,"

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Plus, who knows if you'll be able to go over there ever again once Mrs. Kim finds out that I am 'pregnant out of wedlock'..._again_. Speaking of, don't-don't tell anyone about this yet, okay?"

"Not even Lane?"

"No, not just yet. I'm going to tell everyone when, you know, I figure some things out."

"Okay," Rory stood up and picked up her book bag and jacket from the floor after she had kissed her mother quickly on the forehead, "You _sure_ you're okay?"

"I'm sure,"

Rory looked at her mother's puffy red eyes and knew that she wasn't okay, but she would be. Like she said, she just needed time to sort things out.

"I'm going to get some stuff ready and then head out. I'm also going to stop by the bookstore on my way there," Rory called as she walked into her bedroom, "I'll call as soon as we finish dinner. Make sure you eat too, sometimes you forget if you don't have to feed me."

"Thanks, Mom," Lorelai replied and even though Rory couldn't see from her bedroom, she knew her mother was rolling her eyes, "How could _I _forget about food? It's right up there, below coffee."

"Coffee _is_ food," Rory pointed out.

"Coffee is beyond food. It needs its own category."

Rory emerged from her room holding a duffle bag and Lorelai stood from the couch to give her daughter a hug.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Rory gave a little wave and headed out the door.

"Bye, Hun,"

* * *

In the bookstore, Rory had picked up a copy of A Passage to India and was about to cash out when she noticed a whole section on babies and parenting books. Without thinking much, Rory started browsing through them and came across a pocket baby name book. _This could come in handy... _Rory figured as she picked it off the shelf and noticed that it was even on sale.

What wasn't noticed was Miss Patty peering over the bookshelf behind Rory.

The nature of gossip in the small town escaped Rory as she was cashed out by Andrew without a second thought. As soon as Rory was out the door, Miss Patty came up and leaned on the check-out counter.

"Why would Rory Gilmore need a _baby_ name book?" Andrew asked himself more than he asked Patty.

"I think you just answered your own question," Patty concluded. This was the juiciest chunk of gossip since Patty found Rory and Dean asleep in her dance studio. In fact, this was the biggest piece of gossip probably in the history of Stars Hollow, and Miss Patty held it in her possession. Well, maybe Andrew held some of it too, but he wasn't as chatty as Patty. This was also more serious gossip than her daily dose, and she wasn't sure if it should even be passed out. However, she also know her news would be the talk of the town; her better judgment was ignored and in the end her love for gossiping won out and Miss Patty hurried out of the bookstore. Eastside Tillie had nothing on Patty now.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rory stopped, once again before going to the Kim's, at Luke's. It wasn't that busy, bit the dinner rush would most likely kick in soon. She approached the counter where Luke was finishing taking an order from a customer there.

"Luke?" Rory said getting his attention.

"Oh, hey Rory," Luke acknowledged the young girl.

"I was wondering if you could do me a favor. Well, it's really for Mom. Would you mind maybe bringing a burger or something over to the house?"

"What, is she too lazy to come get it herself? What am I, her delivery boy?"

Rory could sense a rant coming so she quickly cut Luke off, "No, it's not like that. I just want to make sure she eats, and...she's not in the greatest condition to go out so-,"

"Is she alright?" Luke instantly jumped into protective mode.

"She will be, but it'd be really great if you just brought something by for her," Rory started walking back towards the door already knowing that Luke wouldn't let her down, "Oh, and make sure not to bring her any coffee! Juice or something is good."

"Juice?" Luke asked with a confused expression. He knew Lorelai well enough to know that she would not tolerate receiving juice over coffee, "You mom won't drink juice. She'll whine and bug me until I get her coffee."

Rory shook her head and stated with finality, "Things are different now," and was soon out the door, leaving Luke still confused.

What did Rory mean "Things are different now"? Did Lorelai suddenly realize that her current diet will kill her by forty and decide to start at least drinking something that wouldn't rot her insides? Not a chance. Luke got a feeling that something wasn't right, but he pushed it to the side and started making food to bring to Lorelai.

* * *

Lorelai nearly jumped when a knock on the front door startled her, "Who is it?" She asked, trying to hide the choking sound that was in her voice from crying.

"It's Luke," Came a gruff voice.

"What is it, Luke?" Lorelai called, not moving from her curled-up position on the couch and not wanting anyone to see her in this state.

But of course, she forgot that the door was unlocked.

"Lorelai?" Luke asked as he opened the door and stepped inside.

Lorelai sighed and said weakly, "Over here,"

Luke spotted her on the couch and hurried over after depositing the bags of food he brought on the coffee table. Lorelai's curly hair was frazzled into a poofy mess and her eyes were bloodshot. She had never looked so disheveled to him and it made him want to destroy whatever had done this to her.

"Lorelai, what's wrong?" He asked, his voice filled with concern as he sat beside her on the lump couch.

She spoke quietly, "I'm a screw-up..."

"You're anything but a screw-up. Lorelai, what happened?" Luke was never particularly great at comforting people, but he figured that in order to try he'd have to know what was wrong.

"I screwed up," She repeated, tears pouring out faster, "This w-wasn't supposed-supposed to happen a-again... I don't-t think I co-could do it again. I'm-it's all wrong-g! What are- what is everyone g-going to th-think?"

"What do you mean 'again'?" He asked, trying to figure out what she was talking (rather sobbing) about. Luke placed a comforting hand on her back. He hated it when people cried, but it seriously disturbed him to see Lorelai sob like she was now. Lorelai was the strongest woman that Luke knew, and for her to be so distraught something must be terribly wrong.

"Lorelai, you have to tell me what's wrong," Luke softly urged. He wouldn't admit it, but this was kind of scaring him.

Lorelai shook her head and whispered, "Y-you'll be so disappoint-pointed,"

"Look at me," Luke said, pulling her up and turning her to face him, "How in the world could I be disappointed in you?"

Lorelai squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see his reaction, "I slept with Christopher when he came, about a month ago,"

Luke was glad that her eyes were shut so she didn't see his face fall for a couple seconds. He always felt a twinge of...pain? Something like it, whenever Lorelai was with a man, especially _him._ But he didn't understand how she could be so distraught over this, "I-I don't understand-,"

"That's not it, not a-all," Lorelai paused, her eyes still shut tight, "Luke...I-I...I'm pregnant,"

His hands dropped from their place on her shoulder like he'd been burned, but he instantly regretted it when he saw Lorelai flinch from loss of contact.

"So, that's why Rory didn't want me to bring you coffee..." Luke quietly realized. Luke put his arm around Lorelai and puled her close so that she was sobbing into his shoulder. "I could never be disappointed in you, you know why?" Lorelai didn't answer. "Because the only way I could be disappointed in you is if you didn't care for this baby as much as you care for Rory. And I know that would never happened."

"B-but what if I can't. What if I c-can't d-do this!" Lorelai sobbed.

"Stop it, Lorelai, you _can _do this. You did it at sixteen and look how great of a kid Rory turned out to be. And, you know, you're not alone this time. You have Rory and the _whole town_ that would do anything for you."

"The..._whole _town?"

"The whole town," Luke confirmed, "If anything, things will be easier. You're not sixteen anymore."

"I-I'm just scared. Scared that...maybe I j-just got lucky with Rory."

"You know that's not true," Luke gently rubbed Lorelai's back, "You're an amazing mother."

"But Christopher is not a great father..." Lorelai whispered, "And I hate that he _is _the father. I hate that another of my kids id going to have a no-show father. They-they don't deserve it! Rory doesn't deserve it... I don't want this child to go through what Rory has to. I know it seems like I'm enough most of the time but sometimes...I just-I-I guess I just wish things were a little different once in a while. That Christopher could be _there, could _be a dad. And that makes me feel like a bad mother, like I didn't pick the best dad, like I messed up...I know that as soon as I tell him I'm pregnant he'll race right over with his traditional marriage proposal. Then, I'll say 'no' because I know that he wants to get married for the wrong reasons and I know he's not ready to be a dad, even now. And h-he'll race right off a-again and history will repeat itself with another one of his children," Lorelai was practically on Luke's lap, cuddled against his chest. He listened, one hand rubbing up and down her back and the other holding her head against him, as he tried to soothe her.

"That's not your fault..."

"Maybe n-not, but you know what? My p-parents will _make _it_ my _fault. Oh my god...my parents are g-going to kill me. And we'll have a h-huge fight and who knows what will happen..."

"But your parents love Rory. They're going to love this baby too," Luke assured her.

"I'm s-sorry I'm dumping this all on you," Lorelai moved to get off of Luke, but Luke held her close.

"Don't be," For a while they sat in silence with Lorelai trying to calm down. She could hear his heart beat, with her head against his flannel-clad chest, and it was surprisingly soothing.

After a bit Luke asked, "Are you hungry? I brought food, and you should probably eat something..."

"Coffee?" She asked hopefully when she spotted a to-go cup.

"Orange juice," Luke corrected.

"You brought _me_ orange juice?"

"Rory told me not to bring you coffee. Besides, you're not supposed to drink coffee when you're pregnant,"

"Remind me to steal that girl's laptop," Lorelai grumbled as she started digging through the to-go boxes of food that Luke have brought. After scarfing down half a box of fries and regaining some composure Lorelai said with sincerity, "Thank you. For everything. For, you know, just being there,"

Luke lowered his head a little, sheepishly smiled, then raised his eyes to meet her's, "I'll always be there," he promised.

It was one promise from a man in which Lorelai didn't have to worry about whether or not it would be kept, she already knew the answer.

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked it! Anyone have name/gender suggestions? Reviews always appreciated. 


	4. Author's Note

**Author's Note**:

(I know, I hate them too)

First off, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry! I really don't mean for it to take between updates. As lame as it sounds, I've been really busy. My teachers have been hitting us with projects and test one after the other, after the other, after the other. Hopefully things will die down since most projects are down, but then there's finals so I can't make many promises. Sorry for my lame-sounding excuses. Sorrysorrysorrysorry...

So about the story, I just wanted to let you all know that **I will finish it no matter what!** There is no way I'm about to abandon this story; I hate it when people do that, it drives me nuts. I want to assure everyone that I have a definite plan and I hope you haven't given up on me. I also wanted to know if you guys would like to vote on the baby's name. I've read that some people don't like it when authors let the readers vote on something in the story because it seems like the author doesn't really have a plan for the story. I am perfectly fine with having readers vote on a name if they want to because it won't change the story line or plan.

Thoughts appreciated,

JavaPoodle

P.S. I'm hosting a Gilmore girls video contest on youtube, check it out if you're interested! (Link is in my profile)


	5. I'm the Father

**A/N:** It's finally up! Sorry for the long wait. If you haven't read the author's note I posted before this chapter, please do. Thanks for all your reviews, I really like reading your feedback!

**Disclaimer:** I own it only in my dreams. Sadly, that particular dream didn't come true

**Dedication: **I want to dedicate this chapter to Zach Gibson. He was in a hunting accident on Friday and died in surgery(supposedly) on Saturday. I didn't know him that well at all, but he was in my P.E. class and now I won't get a chance to know him. It isn't fair and he was too young. Even though I'm sure he never liked or watched Gilmore Girls, this one's for him.

Chapter Three: I'm the Father

"Thanks, again," Lorelai thanked Luke again before he left. It was about an hour later and Luke needed to get back to the diner. Though Luke had said that Caesar could handle things if Lorelai wanted him to stay, but Lorelai insisted that she would be okay and that he should get back.

"No problem," Luke replied stepping out the door, "But if you ever need anything, anything at all..."

Lorelai nodded, "I know," and closed the door as Luke walked away.

Not long later, the phone rang.

"Hello?" Lorelai answered.

"Hi Mom, we finished eating a couple of minutes ago," Rory's voice came through the phone.

"Oh, what was it this time? All-wheat? Tofu?"

"Soy. But it wasn't that bad, it just didn't have any taste..."

"Eww,"

"Have you eaten anything?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, thanks to you. Luke brought over some food about two hours ago,"

"I just didn't think you'd want to go out for food, so I made the food come to you,"

"I know, I know. Hey, tomorrow morning are you coming home or are we meeting at Luke's for breakfast?" Lorelai asked.

"Since we probably have nothing to eat at home, I'd say Luke's. Unless, you feel like staying in for a while..."

"Luke's sounds good. What's the use of sitting at home anyway? Like you said, we barely have anything eatable here,"

"Luke's it is. I'll see you tomorrow,"

"Love you,"

"You too," and they both hung up.

It wasn't long before Lorelai started getting ready for bed.

* * *

Early the next morning, Rory was shaken awake by a frantic Mrs. Kim. 

"Wake up! Get up and get out!" She whispered harshly so as not to wake Lane, practically pulling Rory from the cot she was sleeping on.

"Wusgoinon?" Rory mumbled, half-asleep.

"Out, out, out, out!" Mrs. Kim push her out of Lane's room and hurried her downstairs.

"What's wrong?" Rory asked extremely confused and still not fully awake. She thought she heard Mrs. Kim murmur, "Filthy, dirty..." under her breath.

"Out!" Mrs. Kim repeated as she shoved Rory and threw her things out the door, "You are not to see or talk to Lane anymore!" She stated right before slamming the door.

* * *

As Lorelai walked through the square to get to the diner, she spotted Rory coming toward her still in her pajamas and carrying her duffle bag. 

"Protesting against normal clothing?" Lorelai asked about Rory's attire as she came to stand in front of her.

"Mrs. Kim kicked me out!"

"Literally? Because that would be quite a sight..." Lorelai began to picture Mrs. Kim physically kicking Rory out of the house.

"She literally shoved me out. She yelled and said that I couldn't see or talk to Lane, and I have no idea why!"

"It has to be your pajamas, too much sugar," Lorelai commented on the candy-printed pjs Rory sported, "Sugar is the devil's invention to rot your teeth and cause an early death!" She mimicked Mrs. Kim.

"_Mom_," Rory said trying to get her to be serious.

"Okay, sorry. So, she _shoved _you out?"

"She shoved, yelled, and I think she muttered insults," Rory told her mom, "I don't want to never see Lane again."

Lorelai slung her arm around her daughter's shoulder, "Come on, it sounds like you could use some chocolate chip pancakes and Luke's coffee," and steered toward the diner.

As soon as the duo entered the diner, their little blonde neighbor yanked them down to sit at the table containing Stars Hollow's gossip group, "Is it true, sugah?"

"Is what true, Babette?" Lorelai asked cheerfully.

"That Rory's pregnant," Patty said matter-of-faculty _and loudly_ so heads turned their way.

"What?" Rory cried, her day was getting weirder and weirder.

"Oh, honey, I saw you buy that baby name book," Miss Patty said as if that explained everything.

Lorelai gave Rory a 'what-were-you-thinking-doing-that-in-_this_-town?' look, and Rory returned with a 'sorry-I-wasn't-thinking' look.

"Like mother like daughter, eh? God that baby'll be gorgeous.." Babette trailed off in day dream. By now the majority of the diner was quiet, listening in on the conversation.

"Rory is _not_ pregnant," Lorelai insisted as she stood up.

"Then what does she need a baby name book for?" Miss Patty asked skeptically.

It was like the entire diner was frozen around them. People even stopped eating, awaiting an explanation and whispering to each other only occasionally. Luke listened nearby, wondering if Lorelai could talk her way out or if she would cave.

Lorelai sighed knowing that it would get out eventually and if she lied the town would be upset if it did come out, "She probably thought I could use it. I'm pregnant, not Rory," she held her breath, waiting for a reaction. She didn't have to wait long.

"Wow! Well, who's the father, doll? With Rory we coulda assumed it was Dean, ya know, because of that one morning. But you haven't been seein anyone, have ya?" Babette rasped enthusiastically.

Luke could see the color drain from Lorelai's face as she stammered, "Uh, th-the father-,"

She didn't get to finish; Luke came up next to her, put his arm around her waist and shocked the entire place with one statement that no one expected, "I'm the father."

It was the first time that Lorelai could remember that the whole diner was completely shocked silent.

Apparently, Miss Patty didn't need too long to process this, "My, my, my, it's finally happened, congratulations!"

Neither Rory nor Lorelai had said anything since Luke's statement. While Rory looked at Luke both shocked and quizzically, Lorelai look at him curiously, ideas forming in her head (though no one seemed to notice). Pulling her daughter aside, Lorelai said quietly, "Why don't you go home, get dressed out of your pjs and meet me back here in about an hour?"

"What's going-," Rory started, but Lorelai cut her off.

"I'm not sure, just...please go okay? See you in an hour?"

"See you in an hour," Rory gave in and exited the diner.

Lorelai went back beside Luke to find Babette and Patty peppering him with questions, "How long have you two been sneakin around together?"

"Are you gettin married?"

Poor Luke was defenseless.

"Excuse us, ladies," Lorelai pulled Luke away from _Hello!_ Magazine and behind the curtain.

As Lorelai shut the apartment door behind her, she started to say, "Luke..." but was quickly interrupted by the man himself.

"I know. I know, okay?! I'm an idiot, I don't know what I was thinking. No, I _do_ know what I was thinking, I just...after everything you said yesterday about Christopher and this kid having to get a no-show father I thought, why? Why does it have to have Christopher as a dad, why can't I..." He trailed off, "But I had no right to say what I said downstairs, I'm sorry. I saw you going down in front of half the town and I just sorta jumping in and I'm sorry. You have every right to be angry at me," he finished taking a deep breath.

"Thank you," Lorelai replied simply.

Luke let out the breath that he was holding, astonished, "What?"

"Thank you," Lorelai repeated, "you're right. You're more of a father to Rory than Christopher will ever be. Hell, you love his kids more than he does. Let's face it, Chris might as well just be a sperm donor. I have a feeling you'd be more of a father to this child anyway. Truthfully, I'd _rather_ you be its father." She paused, "You _can _be this kid's dad even if you're not biologically its dad. No one will ever know you're not, only you, Rory and I know the truth; no one else has too."

Luke let Lorelai's words sink in and then asked softly, "Doesn't Christopher have a right to know?"

Lorelai was silent for a moment, "That's for me to decide, and right now Chris isn't the one with an unborn child, you are."

"And your parents?"

"Would tell Christopher and try to get me to marry him. _No one_ else will know, not even Sookie," Lorelai spoke this last phrase regretfully.

Both remained quiet, thinking over everything that had happened and everything that might happen. Luke wore a small smile.

He broke the silence, "What do we tell the town? What do _we_ do?"

Lorelai simply shrugged and said, "We play house."

* * *

"You're insane," Rory stated an hour later after her mother explained everything. They were sitting at a table near the window at the diner and talking quietly so no one overheard, "You're insane and you've turned Luke insane." 

"Hon, we live in Stars Hollow. It won't be long before you become crazy and join the rest of us," Lorelai pointed out.

"Dad has a _right_ to know," Rory said, "I know as well as you do that he doesn't get the 'Greatest Dad Ever' title, but I still think-,"

"Look, Rory, I'm going to tell you what I told Luke: this is for me to decide. For now, _Luke_ is the father of my unborn kid, okay? Promise me no one else is going to find out the truth?"

Rory sighed before answering, "Alright," and taking a sip of coffee.

"Now, of course, you realize that there are going to be a few changes..." Lorelai began.

"Uh huh," Rory encouraged her mother to continue.

"Luke will be moving in. Not only for appearances, but also because he will be the baby's father and want to be there for the kid even before its born," she explained.

"When?"

"He's bringing his stuff over next week. I'm sorry I didn't run this by you first, but everything is happening so fast, you know? But if you get uncomfortable with any of this-,"

"I don't think I will. I mean, it might be nice having a man around the house. Especially one that can cook," Rory said and smiled.

"Yeah, that's the best part," Lorelai grinned back.

* * *

**A/N:** Who knows when the next one will be up :\ The next couple weeks I'll be slammed with finals sniff 


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